On a recent trip to South Florida for a medical conference, I took the opportunity to go shopping at a local mall. Interestingly, signs of the Christmas season were eerily missing.

What was on full display were the all-too-common impolite and unruly shoppers, cutting off drivers in massive lines of traffic, jockeying for scant parking spaces and fighting among anxious shoppers over that over-hyped one-of-a-kind gift that everyone thinks they have to have for their kids.

I was greeted with the typical "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas" by retailers who were carefully instructed to be sensitive to public perception, not to offend those who don't believe or have open antipathy toward Christian symbols or beliefs. Yet they were anxious to cash in on the Christmas tradition of giving gifts to each other, while being careful not to give any recognition of this most important holiday that has defined us as a nation. The historic nativity scene, representing the birth of the Christ child, who came to Earth to become the sacrificial atonement for the sins of the world, was rarely displayed anywhere near our public spaces.

While this is indeed a historic turning point in our nation's religious expression, this stunning example of political correctness is but one of many more blatant examples of political correctness replacing historical truths. However, when we abandon or debase the basis of our moral guiding principles, grounded in biblical truths, then why should we wonder why we have such moral decadence on full display in our schools, families and work and business dealings?

Our own governmental institutions - with which we interact and which should be accountable to the people who give it power to maintain social order and commerce and protect our national interests - have been corrupted such that the American people have lost confidence in our government's ability to protect our heritage.

These changes did not happen overnight. It has been a gradual erosion of our own human consciousness that has placed serving our needs and desires first and foremost, regardless of the consequences to truth, honor, loyalty and virtue. We demean or vilify those who seek to build truth and justice if it interferes with the political correctness of the day (or our job security). Political thought and policy has been hijacked to serve those who have an agenda to serve their own financial interests, regardless of the facts and truth.

Health care policy is a classic example. Medical decisions are made not on scientific fact or behavior, but on the basis of political correct dogma. As a result, we have decisions made regarding HIV, hepatitis C, diabetes or other chronic illnesses that are usually clustered based on lifestyle choices without addressing these obvious causes to our health care problems.

Instead of targeting those individuals who are practicing these unhealthy lifestyles, we are treating these problems as a systemic problem in our entire population. This leads to unnecessary spending on health care that could be better used to address the risk factors that lead to the rise in these diseases. The same can be said of obesity, alcohol abuse, drug use and other human choices that have led to the rising cost of health care.

If we ignore those risk factors and refuse to address them, then we are doomed to continue to see more individuals ensnared by these chronic illnesses and a loss of productivity.

Despite these examples of our declining moral condition, I am pleased to say that the Christian Coalition of Alabama has had the opportunity to make a small difference in the lives of families across Alabama.

During the tornado outbreak earlier this year, we were able to work with families and local insurers to help cut through red tape and bureaucracy that slowed recovery in the Lake Martin area and Eclectic. We assisted local families with immediate needs for housing and clothing after they lost everything in the storms. We raised money for churches damaged by the storms and lent a hand in their rebuilding.

Here in Montgomery, we completed two new homes for two worthy families just in time for them to be able to move in before Christmas. This project, in Washington Park, has been so successful that municipalities across Alabama are working with us to rebuild blighted areas in their cities as well. We are also hopeful that weather-resistant homes can replace mobile homes that have been the site of so many tragedies across our state.

We have assisted families with financial loss due to the economic downturn to work with lenders to protect their homes and vehicles, so they can continue to be productive. We are working to help rebuild credit for families and individuals who made unwise financial decisions in the past, but need access to credit to build their lives and businesses.

Finally, we have worked with the Montgomery Area Food Bank to raise money and food donations for our local food bank to support the nutritional needs of those most needy in the River Region.

While we lament the loss of our moral bearings in our country, we can resolve individually to make a difference each and every day of the new year in the lives of one family with whom we have daily interaction. We must support each and every one of us as we put aside our own desires and elevate truth, honor, mutual respect and loyalty instead of destructive personal attacks and untruths. If we focus our energies on helping others rather than personal narcissism, we can change our city and our state.

If we are successful in putting more emphasis on helping others, regardless of the consequences, instead of political correctness, we can even change the cultural decline that has become so evident in our nation.